Hurricane Season Relief

H urricane season is currently underway, with that comes billions of dollars in damage and the displacement of thousands of people. We have seen the effect of hurricanes in the past with Sandy and Katrina, but that doesn’t make what is happening now any less devastating. We watched as Harvey ravaged Texas and Louisiana, flooding streets, damaging buildings, and taking the lives of at least 60 people. Following Harvey was Hurricane Irma, which was recently downgraded to just a tropical storm. It is still a threat to people in Florida however before being downgraded it battered the state, making it difficult to aid those in need. While the storm does seem to be moving on, it was not before it added 11 to the death toll in the U.S. The decline of Irma does not mean the season is over though, Hurricane Jose is next in line and thankfully it is not likely that it will hit the U.S. coast.

The most active months of a hurricane season are August, September, and October so we are smack dab in the middle right now. With even more storms forming, there is sure to be more hardship for the affected regions coming. These storms do not often pose a threat to us given our location, which means we have a duty to help the people who are. All across the country and the world people have come together to provide relief in any way they can. Here in Plymouth, the United Methodist Church is looking for volunteers to help them make cleaning buckets and health kits. They are looking for help on the Saturdays of the 16, 23, and 30 at their church found on 334 Fairground Road. When major disaster hits any part of the world we should do whatever we can to help those in need and this is a great opportunity for students here to do just that.